Five killed in renewed Ebonyi/ Cross River boundary dispute

FIVE women were on Thursday beheaded by unidentified persons in Itim-Amagu, in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Itim-Amagu is a boundary community between Ebonyi and Adadama community in Cross River state.

Both communities had been locked in a perennial boundary dispute.

The bodies of the victims have been recovered while three persons have been declared missing.

The Chairman of Ikwo council area, Mr. John Nnabo in a statement accused the Adadama community of carrying out the killings.

However, it was gathered that the war has claimed hundreds of lives and unquantifiable cost of property destroyed on both sides.

Nnabo said he was called on Thursday morning by his Vice Chairman over the incident.

The council chairman noted that the victims had gone to the area to uproot their cassava and other food crops, only to be attacked by warlords of Adadama.

Nnabo pointed out that the problem had persisted because the Adadama people would always cross the river boundary to the side of Ebonyi State to humiliate them.

He said: “It is true. I was called on Thursday morning by my Vice Chairman. Five women were killed and beheaded. We have recovered their corpses. Three persons are still missing. Our people went to uproot their cassava and other crops thinking that the war has subsided without gunshots for a long time”.

“As they were in the farm, the Adadama people surrounded them, killed and beheaded them. They will always cross the river to humiliate us”.

Meanwhile, an Ikwo stakeholder and National Coordinator of Buhari/Osibanjo Initiative For Demonstrating Change, Comrade Chinedu

Ogah has called on the federal government and the National Boundary Commission to quickly take urgent steps to delineate the boundary to forestall further loss of lives and property in the area.

He, however, commiserated with the families of the victims, assuring them that efforts were on top gear to ensure amicable resolution of the dispute.

He urged security agencies to ensure adequate security for the protection of lives in the area to avoid the repeat of the dastardly act.